Off-color Elemental Blasts

[Hanni]

Black Elemental Blast
 
Instant
Choose one - Counter target white spell; or destroy target white permanent.

White Elemental Blast
 
Instant
Choose one - Counter target black spell; or destroy target black permanent.

---

Dark Elemental Blast
 
Instant
Choose one - Counter target white spell; or destroy target permanent if it's white.

Light Elemental Blast
 
Instant
Choose one - Counter target black spell; or destroy target permanent if it's black.

I have yet to come up with flavor text but I think it would interesting if Wizards were to print these since they color shifted a few spells in the last set.

[Draven]

Corpse Splicer
1BB
Creature -- Zombie Wizard
2/1
BB, T: Exchange target creature an opponent controls for target creature card in that player's graveyard. Play this only when you could play a sorcery.
The undead's birthcry drowned out the wailing of its dying donor.

Black Elemental Blast
 
Instant
Counter target white spell or destroy target white permanent.

White Elemental Blast
 
Instant
Counter target black spell or destroy target black permanent.

---

Dark Elemental Blast
 
Instant
Counter target white spell or destroy target white permanent.

Holy Elemental Blast
 
Instant
Counter target black spell or destroy target black permanent.

I have yet to come up with flavor text but I think it would interesting if Wizards were to print these since they color shifted a few spells in the last set.

I have no problem with these. For flavor reasons, I would like to see them remain "Black" and "White" verse Dark and Holy, just to keep with the orginal Red and Blue.

[Hanni]

I didn't mean to leave Corpse Splicer in there, I had copy pasted that from the rules sticky so that I could do the formatting correctly. I edited it out.

As far as the 4 blasts go... they actually are in line with the originals.

Pyroblast, Hydroblast -> Holyblast, Darkblast (which is already a card, so that's why I added the word elemental)

However, I do see your point that instead of Holy Elemental Blast, Holyblast would be more fitting. However, I'm not sure what word would best replace Dark if I were to keep that theme in tact. Evil maybe? Evilblast sounds kinda dumb though and Unholyblast seems a bit clunky...

[Draven]

As far as the 4 blasts go... they actually are in line with the originals.

Please tell me you know there was magic before Ice Age Alpha actually had the "orginal" blasts. Ice Age had a bunch of functional reprints (yeah, I know REB and Pyroblasts are not exactly the same, but they are close enough for the discussion.)

[Hanni]

I meant originals as a whole... there are 4 Blasts in total and that's why I posted 4 different Blasts.

[parallax]

Then I assume you mean "Choose one -- Counter target spell if it's white. OR Destroy target permanent if it's white."

[Pave]

Fire and water are elements.  I wouldn't call the white and black analogues 'elemental' blasts.

[Hanni]

Yea I guess I should change the text to exactly the way the others are printed. I hadn't really gone all out with it. I'll edit it.

As far as what you consider elements... I consider Holy and Dark to be elements so I suppose it's speculative.

[Titanium Dragon]

Wouldn't it be more interesting to give them more in-color abilities, like the black one letting you Duress them, but instead of choosing a non-creature card you choose a white card or something instead of acting as a counterspell? I dunno what the white one could do though.

[zimagic]

Where's the love for green?

Green Elemental Blast
 
Choose: Counter target Blue spell or destroy target blue permanent.

I'd also like to see hate EBs as in:
Green Elemental Blast
 
Choose: Counter target Blue spell or destroy target black permanent.

These are way above current standard powerlevels.

[Anusien]

Are these correctly costed?  I seem to recall Wizards saying that they disliked narrow hosers like this; wihle it fits the dichotomy of the colors, it seems very poor; sometimes it's AMAZING and sometimes it just sucks.

[jro]

I don't really see why these should be color shifted.  Most of the PC reprints try and put old cards in the proper colors, not just shift things because they can.  And the main set PC cards don't really give black and white the focus on elemental magic and spellcasting that blue and red have.  What kind of shift in the conception of black and white would support these cards?

Green Elemental Blast
 
Choose: Counter target Blue spell or destroy target black permanent.

This is my favorite card among all that have been discussed so far in this thread.  I don't know that it works as an Elemental Blast, but it's kind of intriguing.  Why blue spells and black permanents, not vice versa?  I'd say because what's unnatural about blue is its magic (conjuring is unnatural, wizards themselves aren't), while what's unnatural about black are its creatures (death is natural, zombies aren't).  I guess that means making it non-creature blue spell.  A cost of 2G seems certainly fair, and it could possibly be even cheaper (if we take Deathmark as any kind of indicator).

[Matt]

Should be "dark" and "light" elemental blast, not dark/holy.

[Hanni]

Light works, let me change that.

[zimagic]

Green Elemental Blast
 
Choose: Counter target Blue spell or destroy target black permanent.

This is my favorite card among all that have been discussed so far in this thread.  I don't know that it works as an Elemental Blast, but it's kind of intriguing.  Why blue spells and black permanents, not vice versa?  I'd say because what's unnatural about blue is its magic (conjuring is unnatural, wizards themselves aren't), while what's unnatural about black are its creatures (death is natural, zombies aren't).  I guess that means making it non-creature blue spell.  A cost of 2G seems certainly fair, and it could possibly be even cheaper (if we take Deathmark as any kind of indicator).

I chose spell for blue because narrowing it to "blue instant or sorcery" felt very conditional. Fine if I want to keep the cost down in current standard say but not really as appealing as a straight Green counterspell for blue. (Which is totally needed, as is a straight GEB for blue spells & permenents). I think a "non-creature spell" clause would also work here.

For black, I went with permanents rather than creatures as green has no problems dealing with enchantments and it felt wrong excluding them.

So now I've totally hijacked Hanni's suggestion for & EBs and turned it into a Green Enemy EB. Sorry Hanni. Is this enough to make a new topic?

[Hanni]

So now I've totally hijacked Hanni's suggestion for  &  EBs and turned it into a Green Enemy EB. Sorry Hanni. Is this enough to make a new topic?

Nah that's fine you can leave it in this thread. This thread was suggested for the simple purpose of suggesting off-color EB's. There is already red and blue so I suggested white and black. Green is still off-color, so I have no problems with you guys suggesting it in this thread. Figure out what you want it to look like and I'll put it in the OP.

Is everyone content on the current naming/wording of the current EB's I have posted in the OP?

[Pave]

It'd be cool if the green blast itself destroyed green spells and creatures.

[Norm4eva]

I'm not certain that this is entirely appropriate.
The original Elemental Blasts were printed in a time far different from now.  There's been much more definition and exploration of the color wheel and I don't think that every color just gets to straight up Counterspell its enemy colors.  I know that, as recently as the last block, both Black and White have received limited counterspell capabilities, and I'm happy to see the counterspell 'mechanic' spread out into neighboring colors.  I think, though, that whereas the new counters are executed in a very in-color way - White's taxing and Black's life drain - these cards are blatent color shifts that are nostalgic and elegant, but not correct.
For issues like these I like to remeber that assy card from Kamigawa Block, Aura Barbs.  It's a forgone conclusion that Red and Black should have issues with Enchantments.  Where White and Green are more than happy to destroy them, Red and Black don't have a direct means of dealing.  Red can't just Demystify; it would be most inappropriate.  Enter Aura Barbs.  It gives Red a (questionable) tool in its battle against that which it cannot directly dispose of, and it does so in a distinctly Red way.
I would submit that in this day and age, REB would never have seen print.  I would also submit that your cards are correct in concept but not execution.

[jro]

I'm not certain that this is entirely appropriate.

I agree with these concerns, and I would like it if someone could address my question of why white and black should have these cards.  A suggestion should be more than just saying "Hey, let's color shift these cards."  So, I ask again: What kind of shift in the conception of black and white would support these cards?

[Shock Wave]

I'm not certain that this is entirely appropriate.

I agree with these concerns, and I would like it if someone could address my question of why white and black should have these cards.  A suggestion should be more than just saying "Hey, let's color shift these cards."  So, I ask again: What kind of shift in the conception of black and white would support these cards?

I think these are important questions to answer. I think the elemental blasts should not be colour shifted "just because". These are potentially very strong cards that are being created, so I think we need to be careful.

[Norm4eva]

What kind of shift in the conception of black and white would support these cards?

Well, that's sort of the crux of the biscuit, I don't think there is such a basis in conception for these cards.  I mean sure, now White and Black have limited countermagic, but will we ever see it again?  The precedent is minimal even if the potential exists.
I'm also compelled to remind people that a fair number of spells are multicolored, meaning that these BLEB/WEB/etc ideas would give White and Black reach where there was none before.  Consider Standard; what do four White Elemental Blasts in the sideboard do for Boros' matchups?